Drainage Services Department

Aspired to reshape public perception of its facilities and to promote wildlife conservation, the Drainage Services Department invited AXE Colours HK to paint a mural for the external wall of Sham Shui Po No. 1&2 Sewage Screening Plant, and Hong Kong Station Central Sewage Pumping Station respectively. 

Be it dynamic or static, rigid of soft, the ecological character of cityscapes can vary a lot. Several bird species were selected for the mural painting in Sham Shui Po, namely the Black Kite, the Red-whiskered Bulbul, the Black-faced Spoonbill, and the Great Egret. With vigorous yet delicate brushstrokes, the artist succeeded in capturing the vivid expressions of the main characters in the painting. While the colours of the wall are used to symbolise changes in the sky, the silhouettes are painted to mimic movements of birds soaring up high. 

It would be a shame to omit the inhabitants of rivers and streams, which are no less important than the aforementioned species. The mural painting in Central is inspired by the ordinary lives of residents in streams. It depicts the scenes of the Green Cascade Frog, the Hong Kong Newt, and the Purple Neon Goby travelling amongst plants. These typical native river creatures have been brought to life in the highly realistic portraits.

By selecting some of the most widely distributed species in Hong Kong, the Drainage Services Department seeks to attach importance to maintaining biodiversity. To echo with the theme, the project team recorded the creative process of the two mural paintings in the form of time-lapse photography.